Ellevate Podcast: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

In the Ellevate Podcast you’ll meet real women having a real impact. Female entrepreneurs, authors, business women, and other inspiring leaders share their experience and takeaways from their careers.
Ellevate Network is a community of professional women committed to helping each other succeed. We use the power of community to help you take the next step in your career. Hosts Kristy Wallace and Maricella Herrera interview female leaders to showcase the immense talent these women bring to the table.

Kristy and Maricella feature some members of the Ellevate team for a very special end-of-year episode. They are joined by Raquel Ugalde, Sivi Ananthasingam, Charles Wang, Christina Murphy, Calvin Ieong, Rebecca Spitzer, Laura Ackerman, and Samantha Giannangeli, who reflect on their year at Ellevate, and tell both their most inspiring (and embarrassing) moments. Plus, tips on setting up your employees for success in the new year.

A third generation girl scout, Meridith Maskara, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York is not just passionate about girl scouts, but about supporting the generation of young girls and women who will be the change agents of tomorrow. This week, we talked about inclusivity and diversity within Girl Scouts, their active involvement in legislative decisions, the new programs Girl Scouts is offering including fields of STEM, advocacy, and entrepreneurship and how Girl Scouts are adapting to the fast-paced technological world of today. Meridith also discusses the role Girl Scouts’ program Troop 6,000 plays on girls and women in shelter, how to include men in conversations around equality, as well as teaching girls confidence at a young age.

On this Giving Tuesday edition, Veena Jayadeva, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Guardian and Sarah Degnan Kambou, PhD, CEO & President, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), join us to talk about women's role in global development, understanding marginalized communities and how they change, as well as how you can pick philanthropic causes yourself. The powerful duo also discuss the importance of working locally, creating individual impact, activating your personal network as well as Giving Circle and the Women and Girls Fund.

Morra Aarons-Mele is the founder of the social impact agency Women Online, author of "Hiding in the Bathroom: How to Get Out There When You'd Rather Stay Home" and host of the podcast "The Anxious Achiever". In this episode, she talks about living with anxiety, how to navigate tough work situations, and tips on being a small business owner.

The dynamic podcast duo Kristy and Maricella are joined by Raquel Ugalde, Chapter Program Manager, to talk about Ellevate's newest programming, Raise Her Voice: Untold Stories of Women in the Workplace. The event series sets the stage to inspire a path forward to gender equality in honor of International Women’s Day and Women's History Month in March through the telling of over 125 unique, diverse, and candid stories. To give you a taste of what's in store, Maricella

shares with us how growing up in El Salvador has shaped her and her values. As a part of Raise Her Voice, your inspiring stories could take the stage at a local #RaiseHerVoice event or right here on the Ellevate Podcast!

Interested in nominating a strong women or yourself as a storyteller for a Raise Her Voice event? Visit www.RaiseHerVoice2020.com

Jami McKeon, the Chair of Morgan Lewis, joins the podcast to share her experiences directing the largest law firm in the world led by a woman. She talks about why law professions are beneficial for women, the reason "work life balance" may not be the best term, and gives advice to company leaders on managing change and growth.

Morgan Lewis is a proud corporate partner of Ellevate Network. To find out more about how Ellevate works with companies, visit our website.

On this episode, we're going behind the scenes with Ellevate's own Kristy Wallace, CEO, Maricella Herrera, VP Operations & Strategy, and Allison Matejczyk, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships, to dive into the newest resource on workplace diversity & inclusion: Driving Equality in the Workplace Part 2. The trio talk about some of the topics covered in the white paper, such as Allies and Ambassadors, Making Your ERG More Effective, and Returning to Work After a Caregiving Pause; as well as share tips on how you can utilize partnerships for your own workplace.

Jessica Holscott, EVP and CFO of Warner Media Entertainment, sat down with us this week to dive into what it is like to hold a CFO position and important skills to have in your tool kit to thrive in the world of finance as a woman. Holscott explains how to "relax and figure it out when you get there", having a "momteurage", and the art of leaning in and leaning out in your career at the right times. She also shares the impact of her mother on her work ethic, teaching kids the willingness to learn, and advice she has for her mentees.

Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer of WPP, joins our podcast this week as she packs years of experience through her non linear career path. Pattison, with experience in companies large and small, from New Zealand to U.K., shares the importance of being on the client side, the art of showing up, as well as the impact of targets versus quotas in teams. She also explores the inspiring yet terrifying aspects of creating a business, the imposter syndrome, and the importance of networking throughout her career.

On this episode, we are joined by Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Managing Director, Inclusion & Diversity Lead - North America of Accenture and an award-winning author, to hear her journey and progress in Accenture and beyond. Gadsden-Williams shares how she stimulates unheard conversation on race and gender, championing for others, as well as best practices for gender parity across the globe and work-life balance learnings from the Nordics. She gives an inside look into what it means to hit the "glass cliff", why women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, tackling roadblocks, and her new book, Climb.

On this episode, Piper Anderson, writer, educator, and cultural organizer, sits down with long-time friend Kristy, CEO of Ellevate, to talk about the start of her entrepreneurship journey and who her commitment to social justice affects her work career. Piper also shares her thoughts on the impact of generational trauma, creating change on a local level, and how storytelling can be an impactful step toward creating change. She also answers the age old question: "Who should have a seat at the table?"

This week, our CEO, Kristy Wallace has a conversation with our friends at Gartner, Robin Kranich, EVP HR, and Ania Krasniewska Shahidi, Global Advisory Leader, HR Practice.On this episode, Kristy, Robin, and Ania take a deep dive into the biggest challenges facing women in the workplace, including unconscious bias and confidence. They also discuss some of the research findings and trends that Gartner sees in the workplace. Kranich and Shahidi also share their tips on how you can help mitigate the risks of unconscious bias in your organization, what we can do to help women be more confident in the workplace, and how leaders of any gender can help women achieve their full potential. Ellevate works with companies committed to diversity and inclusion and has a proven track record of changing business culture from the inside out. Gartner is a $4 billion research and advisory firm that equips leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission critical priorities.

Emile Aries, founder and CEO, Bossed Up, joins the Ellevate podcast once again following the release of her new book, Bossed Up: A Grown Woman’s Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together. On this episode, Emily talks about the science of burnout, the point of diminishing returns and being inefficient as a result of working too hard, as well as the relatable idea of "being a martyr" due to a busy schedule. Emily shares her tips on how to have a balanced program between business, travel, and other commitments; how therapy has helped her, and coming up with communication norms to be able to "plug out" and achieve a work-life balance. Aries also gives a inside look into her book and how being physically and mentally healthy is key to professional success.

Haben Girma, a disability rights lawyer who is deaf and blind, joins the Mobilize Women Summit 2019 to share her experiences on how disability can be interpreted as an opportunity for innovation - and we are bringing her keynote right to your ears. On this episode, Haben explores why companies need to prioritize access for those with disabilities and inclusion, designing with access in mind, and the unknown as an opportunity to learn, grow, and innovate. Girma draws examples from her experiences in salsa dancing, sign language, surfing, and more as she unpacks the connection between creativity and inclusion.

Meridith Maskara, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater NY, runs a panel discussion about astronauts, designers and the future of STEM, with Taylor "Astronaut Starbright" Richardson and entrepreneur and designer Ashley Voisin. At this unique Mobilize Women 2019 panel, the powerful panelists tackle questions larger than themselves, as we talk about innovation, role models. STEM, and the importance of a support system.

With another episode from one of our favorite Mobilize Women Summit 2019 segments, we're bringing Stacey Flowers' fascinating keynote to our podcast. Stacey Flowers, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Eternal Optimist; shares her five step plan to achieve happiness in your career and life, relinquish the idea of control, and how she started to "live her best life" after losing track of taking care of herself through her relatable life experiences.

On this week's episode, we are bringing one of our favorite segments from the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit right to you. Valerie Jarrett Senior Advisor, Obama Foundation & Attn: and Chair, Ellevate Network; Co-Founder and CEO, Ellevest have a discussion on how to find your voice, staying positive while facing criticism, and leadership lessons from her time as the Senior Advisor for the Obama White House.

On this week's episode, we are bringing one of our favorite segments from the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit right to you. Ajay Banga, President & CEO, Mastercard; Andrea Jung, President & CEO, Grameen America, and our very own Kristy Wallace, CEO, Ellevate Network have a discussion on why it is important to practice empathy and lead with empathy inside organizations, tackling bias in the world, as well as how they address tough problems at work through their empathetic approaches.

On this week's episode, we are bringing one of our favorite segments from the 2019 Mobilize Women Summit right to you. Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer, Salesforce; Kiersten Barnet, Global Head of Gender-Equality Index, Bloomberg; Susan Lee, Chief People Officer, SeatGeek; and Rachel Sklar Co-Founder, Change the Ratio, TheLi.st, have a discussion on bringing cultural changes to businesses, particularly as it relates to diversity and equality in the workplace. The speakers also focus on the role of employees at every level, instead of focusing on the leadership.

Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo, co-founders of Of a Kind, join us this week as we talk about how they met and how their friendship escalated to running a successful business today. The duo share their experiences on why storytelling is important, how they determined their core values, and the power of embodying values. They also talk about the notion of having a "work wife", their book on female friendships in the workplace, as well as their thoughts on conflict between work partners and family leave.

Luvvie Ajayi, NY Times best selling author, digital strategist, joins us this week after taking the stage at Mobilize Women 2019. Having discovered a love for writing through blogging, Luvvie talks about how writing became her job, career choices, and the importance of self-confidence. She also shares her learnings around solopreneurship, access gap, how not to take yourself too seriously, and her online academy, The Do Better Academy.

Sian Beilock, President of Barnard College at Columbia University, joins us this week after taking the stage at Mobilize Women 2019. With vast experience as an academic studying why we sometimes "choke" under pressure, Sian shares about the importance of talking about insecurities, the phenomenon of "spotlighting", and steps of overcoming fear of failure. She also talks about imposter syndrome, the complicated relationship between economic opportunities and education, as well as her thoughts on single gendered educational environments.

Kiersten Barnet, Global Head of Gender-Equality Index at Bloomberg, joins us this week after taking the stage at Mobilize Women 2019. Realizing the importance of company culture early on, Kiersten joined Bloomberg first serving at a travel-heavy role. On this episode, she talks about the role of culture in global organizations, the notion of diversity throughout countries, as well as the importance of taking action. Kiersten also shares her expertise on the Gender-Equality Index, the increased demand for financial services for women, and the importance of data-driven approaches to progress and equality.

On this episode, Tabitha Laser; CEO, T.A. Laser Consulting, author, and speaker, joins us to talk about how she got to where she is today, ups and downs of her career journey, and how she was inspired to write her book, Culture Killers. Tabitha shares her vast experiences including why some leaders can be difficult to work with, getting "permission" to do the right things, work / life balance, and working for an unpopular company. From working in Hawaii to getting the "pink slip", Tabitha's story story is far from your typical career journey.

On this episode of the Ellevate podcast, Victoria Tsai, founder of TATCHA, joins us to talk about the wake up call that led to her switching careers, the importance of finding meaning in her work and how important that was to her being happy in her life. She talks about the inspiration behind founding TATCHA, the lack of oversight in the cosmetic industry and her experience with creating a sustainable business and creating a product in the beauty and wellness industry. She also shares her tips on traveling for work while being a parent and talks about her partnership with Room to Read.